8 of the world's great coffee cities

Melbourne – Coffee culture is so ensconced here that you can take a cafe culture walk with Hidden Secrets Tours.

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Rome – Rome cafes have been accused of resisting modern techniques. But the capital is still home to the nation's best baristas.

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Singapore – Creative latte art deserves to be Instagrammed. "Locals have become so obsessed with latte art, that it has become a basic criteria for a good café," says Jovena Loon of Café Hopping Singapore.

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Vienna, Austria – UNESCO listed Vienna's coffee houses as an Intangible Heritage in 2011. These institutions serve as public living rooms, where people meet, chat, read newspapers and discuss strudel.

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London – It's better known for tea shops, but espresso-focused cafes have been popping up in earnest across London since the 1990s. East London has the city's highest concentration of quality coffee shops and cafes.

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Reykjavik, Iceland – Local coffee houses flourish in the Icelandic capital. With seven coffee shops and one roaster in the city, Kaffitar is the closest thing to a coffee chain in Reykjavik.

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Wellington, New Zealand – According to Wellington-ites, the ubiquitous flat white was perfected in New Zealand's capital. The drink has since become the Kiwi's unofficial national beverage.

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Seattle – The mermaid saint of chain coffee was born here, but she's only a small part of the city's coffee culture. "Coffee is our liquid sunshine in Seattle," says Joshua Boyt from Victrola Coffee Roasters.

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Story highlights

After the Dutch, Scandinavians have the highest coffee consumption per capita in the world

"There are so many variables involved in producing a great cup of coffee these days, and the industry has had to evolve to meet growing consumer expectations."

The world's best coffee cities are those where the coffee isn't just good -- it's great.

Have you got a favorite coffee city? Top coffee shop? Share your coffee love in the comments below.

London

Aussies and Kiwis opened the city's first espresso-focused coffee shops (such as Flat White and Kaffeine) a decade ago and they've been popping up across the city ever since.

"London still has a long way to go with café service, but in the past five years there's been so much growth, which is a great thing to be part of," says Estelle Bright, head barista at London's Caravan.

"Coffee has always been an integral part of Singaporean life, but we've only recently embraced modern espresso technology," says Jovena Loon of Café Hopping Singapore. "Locals have become so obsessed with latte art that it has become a basic criteria for a good café."

They're such an important part of Viennese culture that the city's coffee houses were listed by UNESCO in 2011 as an Intangible Heritage.

But modern coffee connoisseurs such as Vienna coffee blogger Lameen Abdul-Malik of From Coffee With Love admit that the standard of coffee in these beloved institutions, which act as public living rooms where people come to chat, read newspapers and eat strudel, are lagging in terms of coffee technology and service expectations.

Perhaps not for long.

"Since Vienna hosted the World Barista Championships in 2012, and new-style independent coffee shops began to open up, the quality of espresso drinks is steadily improving," says Abdul-Malik.

Local order: Espresso or cappuccino in a new style cafe.

Or a Vienner melange (similar to a cappuccino, but usually topped with cream) in a traditional coffeehouse.

While the ubiquitous flat white was purportedly invented in Sydney, the drink was perfected in Wellington, where it's become the nation's unofficial national beverage.

"Wellington-ites really know their coffee, and there is a very high standard being served around the city," says Clark. "Wellington is also a small city; there's a lot of interaction between consumers and professionals, which helps our industry to improve and grow."